Blast door for missile launching system



Nov. 11, 1969 M. J. BAUER ET BLAST DOOR FOR MISSILE LAUNCHING SYSTEM 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 14, 1968 S 2 M U a .W M W 3 M 0 ,1- u A i BNWM J 0M wflw MMRM w SJ .1 i. m MEU ATTORNEY Nov. 11, 1969 J BAUER ET AL3,477,338

BLAST DOOR FOR MISSILE LAUNGHING SYSTEM Filed Feb. 14, 1968 ,2Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

United States Patent 3,477,338 BLAST DOOR FOR MISSILE LAUNCHING SYSTEMMyron J. Bauer, New Brighton, Milton C. Neuman, Minneapolis, and RogerH. Wiethofi, Wayzata, Minn., assignors, by mesne assignments, to theUnited States of America as represented by the Secretary of the NavyFiled Feb. 14, 1968, Ser. No. 705,485 Int. Cl. F41f 3/04 U.S. Cl.891.805 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The blast dor is part of amissile launching system having a magazine, storing missiles in avertical position, and provided with a cover or base ring assembly onwhich is mounted a launcher guide arm receiving missiles from themagazine. The door opens and closes to permit the passage of themissiles from the magazine to the guide arm. It is provided with safetydevices to prevent firing of the missile until the door is closed andsealed. It prevents the exhaust gases, from the missile, entering themagazine and carries a spanner rail extension for missile travel thatbridges the rail of the magazine and the rail of the guide arm.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application for a blastdoor for a missile launching system is a component part of application,Serial No. 493,283, filed Oct. 5, 1965, now US. Patent No. 3,367,234,for Guided Missile Launching System.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This inventionrelates to that type of apparatus known as closures and moreparticularly to a hatch or door, automatic in operation, capable ofbeing sealed against the entrance of gases and supporting componentparts which function to assist the passage of articles through theportals of the door.

Description of prior art Heretofore in missile launching systems themagazine is separated from the launcher guide arm by a considerabledistance, and the door between the two is not limited by space andnecessary structure. In combining the magazine and launching platform onwhich the guide arm is mounted a problem of a suitable and effectiveblast door arose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The blast door of the present invention mustfit between the top of the magazine and the guide arm. It is arectangular door, mounted on a pivot that has vertical movement througha limited distance, then rotation in a horizontal plane. It carries aspanner rail to bridge the magazine rail and the rail of the guide armto give the missile a continuous rail. Its operating mechanism hascooperating safety features to prevent movement of the missile withoutthe door being fully opened and means preventing firing of the missilewithout the door being shut and latched.

An object of the present invention is to provide a door leading from amagazine where the missiles are stored in vertical positions to thelauncher guide arm of the missile system which is first moved through avertical displacement and later swung in a horizontal plane to uncoverthe opening through which the missiles must pass.

Another object is to provide a blast door that will shelter the magazinefrom the blast of the fired missile and which will be capable of beingsealed against the entrance of any exhaust gases.

3,477,338 Patented Nov. 11, 1969 "ice DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Theinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the launcher guide arm and showing part ofthe magazine in section;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the door mounted on the base ring of themagazine;

FIG. 3 is a mechanical and hydraulic schematic view of the door andoperating parts shown in the closing cycle.

Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like parts are referred toby like numbers throughout the several views. FIG. 1 shows a portion ofthe magazine 11 in section, the top of the magazine being covered by aplate known as the base ring 12. This base ring 12 is formed with anopening 13 through which the missile passes from the magazine 11 to thelauncher guide arm 14. The missile travels by engagement of a forwardshoe 15 and an aft shoe 16 which move in, first, the magazine (fixed)rail 17, and, later, in the guide arm rail 18. These rails are separatedin order that the guide arm may be elevated and trained for firing, andthe gap is closed by a spanner rail 19 which is attached to the blastdoor 21.

The blast door is a rectangular metal door mounted at one corner topivot post 22 and supports the spanner rail 19 along one side. It alsohas a projecting stud 23 located in the top of the door for positioningthe door exactly with regard to the elevating mechanism. This spud mateswith a socket 24 in the elevation positioner 25. When the door is inclosed position the spanner rail 19 is housed in housing 26 (FIG. 1)which is carried on the base ring. The rim of the door is downturned andformed with a groove 27 (FIG. 3) adapted to engage a sealing resilientring 28 carried by the base ring.

The pivot post 22, supporting the blast door, is mounted in bearingstructure 29 located in the base ring and is formed with a camminggroove 31. This groove rides over the projecting cam 32 and because ofits shape causes the door to first rise one and one-quarter inchesbefore swinging in a horizontal plane. Rotation is imparted to the pivotpost through a gear 33, carried by the post and in mesh with a rack 34connecting pistons 35 and 36.

The operation of the door is hereafter briefly described, with nointention of tracing the hydraulic pressure through the valves and theactuating pistons.

Opening cycle Energizing a solenoid 42 located in a solenoid housing 41initiates a series of hydraulic and mechanical actions that open theblast door. With this energization, a rod 44 is moved to the left and avalve 51 moves to permit pressure from a system 62 through a valve 61 toenter the valve 51 and from there to latch valves 57 and 58. Thehydraulic pressure shifts both of these valves against spring action.The movement of the valves 57 and 58 ports the pressure to verticaltravel valve 52 and rotation start valve 55. The pressure shifts a valve52 against spring pressure and passes to the underside of piston 22a at45. This raises the blast door through its initial vertical displacementabout 1 /4 inches.

As the piston 22a rises, it raises the plunger of valve 55 and thismovement of 55 passes the hydraulic pressure to rotational directionalvalve 56 which acting against spring pressure passes the pressure of thehydraulic fluid to the door rotation piston 36. Movement of the rack 34causes rotation of the gear 33 and its attached piston 22. This rotationcontinues rotating the blast door through an approximate angle of 90 tobring the stud 23 to a specific location under the socket 24 of theelevation positioner 25.

As the rack 34 moves to the left, hydraulic fluid is ported out of thecyldinder at 47, through valve 56 to the rotation metering valve 53.Rotation of the blast door causes the linear section of the cam plate 43to change .position with respect to the plungervalve 53. This valve 53is moved to permit an increasing amount of fluid from valve 51. Thehydraulic fluid passes through 53 and 54 to a tank. The valves 53 and 54function to control the rate of blast door movement.

The cam groove 31 regulates the vertical movement of the blast door.After rotation of the door through 90 a latch on the blast door engagesthe end of a Bowden Wire 63 and moves the valve 64 which is interlockedwith the hoisting mechanism and makes certain that the hoistingmechanism cannot be operated until the blast door is in open, lockedposition. With the door open and latched, the spanner rail is inposition bridging the fixed rail of the magazine and the retractablerail of the guide arm to permit travel of the missile from the magazineto the launcher guide arm.

Closing cycle The blast door is prepared for closing by withdrawing theelevation positioner socket 24 from the stud 23. This withdrawalactuates the solenoid 43 and starts the closing cycle.

Hydraulic pressure from the control valve 61 passes through 51 to opendoor latch valve 59 thus unlatching the blast door. As the valve shiftsthe pressure is ported to valve 56 and to the piston 22 at the point 46.The valve 56 is shifted and the fluid pressure is directed to thecylinder 38 at 47 and acts on the piston 35 to push the rack 34 towardsthe right. The movement of the rack rotates the gear 33 and rotates theblast door. Rotation of the blast door brings the door to closingposition, and fluid pressure against the shoulder entering at 46 to movethe piston vertically to closed position. With the door closed, valves57 and 58 are actuated to latch the door in closed position. With thelatching of the door, indicators ,(not

shown) indicate that the door is in closed position and the missile maybe fired.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings.

What is claimed is:

1. In a missile launching system having a magazine, storing missiles invertical positions and having a base ring covering the magazine andsupporting a launcher guide arm above these missiles, the base ringhaivng an opening for passing the missiles from the magazine to thelauncher guide arm, the magazine having spaced, inline missile guiderails and housing a missile hoisting means, a blast door for the openingcomprising:

a metal covering formed with down turned edges, said covering beingmounted on a pivoted post supported in bearings in the base ring;

means carried on the surface of the door for exactly positioning thedoor when open;

means hydraulically operated for latching the door in closed position;

means carried by the door adapted to 'be positioned when the door isswung to open position between a missile retractable guide rail of themagazine and a missile guide rail of the launcher guide arm to provideuninterrupted guidance for the missile from the magazine to the guidearm;

means for latching the door in open position;

a Bowden wire supported by the magazine having one end engaged by saidopen position latch means upon movement of the blast door to fully openposition; and

a valve normally preventing operation of the missile hoisting means,said valve being mounted in the magazine and in contact with the freeend of the Bowden wire, whereby movement of the wire through contactwith the open position latch means will actuate the valve to permitactuation of the hoisting means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,068,807 12/1962 Neuman 89l.8053,088,375 5/1963 Sherman 89l.805 3,116,664 1/1964 Hereth et all. 891.805

SAMUEL W. ENGLE, Primary Examiner

